Windows On The Soul

Usage You can select meditations from the Table of Contents , also accessible from the drop-down menu ('3 bar icon' on the top-left of each page). This menu also has a list of key-words ('Labels' in Blogger parlance) - clicking a word will display all meditations tagged with that word. Origins The meditations collected in this BLOG were originally written for the weekly newsletter of a local Church in Melbourne, Australia. Whilst most are original works, some are inspirational quotations from my readings of the time. Whilst I have no specific theological training, God has used me in various church and outreach ministries over the years. Thus the writings here-in are views through the “Window on the Soul” of a common fellow journey-man on "The Road Less Travelled", searching the mind of God and constantly seeking His will in my life. Some of the writings include references to specific events and activities in that Church. These have been deliberately ...

Whilst thousands of books have been written about the key to success, there is only one sure-fire recipe for failure, and that is simply to " make no attempt ". Could you imagine the Adelaide 'Crows' football club saying "It’s too much trouble to fly to Melbourne. Lets not go", or the Collingwood 'Magpies' club saying "We're a bit tired this week; we can't be bothered playing the Grand Final". No, I couldn't imagine it either. Yet so many people treat Christianity this way, claiming it is useless without even trying it. Of all the religions and philosophies in the world, Christianity is The Way for triers, battlers and seekers ( Mt.5:3-11 ). The Bible is full of promises to faithful workers ( Lk.19:17 , Ps.132:15 , Lk.6:38 ) and warnings to slothful sluggards ( Pr.19:15 , 20:4 ). But the promised blessings are not dependant on the quantity of the work performed, for we are all blessed with differing abilities responsibilities an...

In 2 Corinthians , Paul explains that “ In Christ, old things are passed away and all things are made new” ( 5:17 ). On becoming a Christian, we must understand that our commitment to the gospel affects every aspect of our lives. Becoming a Christian means that things change. In Christian terms, renewal is never a ‘state’ at which we have arrived. In New Testament times, ‘Christians’ were known as ‘ Followers of The Way ’. The use of ‘Christian’ and ‘non-Christian’ labels are too often used to feed our natural desire for status. The number one thing in our lives that must change, are the values that drive us and that we use to judge, assess and measure our own and others success or failure. We are called to live by different standards: " Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. " ( Col.3:2 ), to put to death all those natural desires, to be the servant of all. Every day we must refocus our eyes on ‘things above’, and at the end of every day, if review...

Over the last few years, a certain retailer has adopted furry bears as their symbol of Christmas. Despite their obvious marketing mercenary intent, Christmas is a good time to remind us of Gal.6:2 , " ...to bear one-another's burdens, and thus fulfil the law of Christ ". However, as we read further, Gal.6:5 gives an almost contradictory directive to " bear our own burdens ". As we read Paul's letters elsewhere, we discover the reason - certain Christians at that time, in anticipation of Christ's imminent return, gave up working themselves, and essentially lived off the charity of their fellow Christians. But this is not the "law of Christ" - we have no 'right' to take, but we all have the responsibility to Bear and Share . The 'socialist' says " What's yours is mine ", but the Christian says " What's mine is yours ". To the economic rationalist, the outcome might be the same in either case, but t...